Smartphone TP-LINK Neffos X1 32GB - advantages and disadvantages

Founded in 1996, TP-LINK is known for its network equipment. The production of smartphones is a new branch of the brand. So the Neffos line entered the market in 2015. The first, rather simple devices were Neffos C5, Neffos C5L and Neffos Ca Max. Another brainchild of this manufacturer TP-LINK is the Neffos X1 16Gb/32Gb.

This smartphone was introduced to the general consumer in the first autumn month of 2016, and since then it has managed to gain popularity in various countries. And the popularity of TP-LINK models is explained by the combination of modern functionality with an affordable price. As you know, the way to the heart of a man lies through the stomach, and the way to the heart of a client of any gender lies through the price of the goods that he is offered to buy. More precisely, through the price of such a product, the quality of which compares with more expensive analogues. And, of course, if this price is affordable for many interested buyers. And with this, the Neffos X1 is all right.

This is a confident middle peasant with good prospects. Its average selling price in Russia is 11-12 thousand rubles (and some sites hold promotions where you can buy it for 10 thousand rubles). In other words, he belongs to the middle budget. Of course, for such a price you can find a more powerful smartphone (and also made in China), but the advantage of Neffos X1 is the warranty and good after-sales service.

In August 2018, Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 (also made in China), Samsung Galaxy J7 (2017) (budget version of Samsung) and Meizu M6 Note were included in the rating of high-quality and inexpensive smartphones. However, Neffos X1 did not get lost in their background. Why? Let's see. Let's focus on the Neffos X1 32GB model.

The appearance of the smartphone

Neffos X1 is a compact, stylish device. Those who are used to associating TP-LINK exclusively with network equipment, well, or with nothing particularly eye-catching first Neffos smartphones, looking at the X1, will be pleasantly surprised.

Its body is made of gray or golden metal, the front is 2.5D glass, and the side ends have a mirror diamond cut. With smooth back surfaces, beveled edges and compact dimensions, the device fits ergonomically in the palm of your hand, making it very easy to use with one hand. The antennas of the radio modules are hidden in the case inserts made of plastic at the top and bottom.But if you do not have a magnet, then you will never guess that it is plastic, since these parts have the color and texture of metal.

Two color options Neffos X1

Dimensions Neffos X1 - 142 × 71 × 7.95 mm (width-height-thickness), weight - 134 g.

Neffos X1 has an interesting innovation - a movable button to the functions that are used most often. Thanks to her, this device is convenient to control anywhere (including on the street or in transport, but it’s better not to drive).

The manufacturer installed a hybrid slot for a SIM card and a memory card in the left end of the model, next to it there is a lever for activating the silent mode - a very convenient option, by the way.

On the back wall of the device in the center is a corporate logo, and a little higher - a block that combines the rear module with a two-color flash and a touch fingerprint scanner.

brand logo

The biometric sensor only takes 0.2 seconds to unlock. According to various consumer reviews, this device has the best fingerprint recognition accuracy. Of course, in the Neffos X1, their owners also had to re-apply their finger for recognition, but the number of such errors was minimal (compared to other smartphones).

Fingerprint Touch Readings

In passing, we note that by touching the scanner on the Neffos X1, in addition to unlocking, you can take pictures.

Design

The design of this device expresses its general concept: on the one hand, technical advancement, and on the other hand, ease of use. Although its ease of use was achieved precisely through numerous technical trials, which made it possible to design a perfectly curved metal back cover that almost repeats the curves of the palm.That is why Neffos X1 is easy to both hold and perform various manipulations with it. The pluses of the design include the fact that the metal surface is not polished (like other smartphones), but a little rough, and therefore the device does not slip out of the palm of your hand.

The design of this device expresses its general concept: on the one hand, technical advancement, and on the other hand, ease of use. Although its ease of use was achieved precisely through numerous technical trials, which made it possible to design a perfectly curved metal back cover that almost repeats the curves of the palm. That is why Neffos X1 is easy to both hold and perform various manipulations with it. The pluses of the design include the fact that the metal surface is not polished (like other smartphones), but a little rough, and therefore the device does not slip out of the palm of your hand.

Package Included

• Neffos X1 32GB;
• network adapter;
• corporate headset;
• USB cable.

Device Specifications

In principle, 3 GB of RAM is not bad, but if you run some heavy application, you will feel a lack of space. The installed memory card will help to increase the memory parameters.

It is worth remembering the combined slot, so you can fill the trays in two variations: two nano SIM cards or a SIM card and microSD / HD / XC.

Among the useful sensors of the Neffos X1 are scanners for the level of illumination, proximity, a fingerprint scanner that works in 0.2 seconds, an accelerometer.

autonomy

A non-removable lithium-ion battery with a capacity of 2250 mAh is responsible for operation without recharging.

When watching videos in HD quality, with the display set to medium brightness, the smartphone can work continuously for up to 9 hours. If you use it for games, then no more than 4 hours (many users say that only 3 hours).

There are two power saving modes: intelligent and maximum.

One of the advantages of the battery is fast charging: in half an hour, TP-LINK is charged by 50%.

Wireless communications

Wi-Fi at a frequency of 5 GHz, there is also a Wi-Fi turbo option that allows you to download large files immediately via Wi-Fi and mobile networks;

• dual band;
• bluetooth;
• microUSB connector (USB 2.0) for charging / synchronization;
• LTE support is provided.

Navigation

Neffos X1 supports navigation systems GPS, GLONASS, A-GPS. Almost anywhere navigation works without problems.

According to the recall of one driver, this device catches a signal very quickly, once he caught it on the highway in just a couple of seconds at a speed of 120 km / h.

Sound

The multimedia speaker and microUSB port are located on the bottom, and on top are the audio output (3.5 mm) and a microphone, among the functions of which is the task of minimizing the noise level.

microUSB port and multimedia speaker

The sound can be turned on at maximum volume, it will not be distorted and phony, but still it could be better. There is only one external speaker, and a microphone is hidden under the second grille. You can listen to music with the supplied headphones.The volume button of this device is located on the right side, and below it is the power button.

Volume rocker and power key

They are both quite large and rise noticeably above the surface of the case, it is difficult to confuse them, as each has a different texture from the other.

Screen

The smartphone has a capacitive touch screen with an oleophobic coating (protective glass 2.5 D), which is based on an IPS matrix and occupies 76% of the front surface of the smartphone. Developed using in-cell-touch technology, i.e. it has no air gap, and therefore all images on it look even more saturated than in the original. TDDI technology was also used.

The screen diagonal is 5 inches (1280 × 720 resolution, with 294 pixel density per inch).

Neffos X1 has a large margin of brightness, there is an automatic and manual option for its regulation, you can additionally adjust the color temperature. And which can be adjusted both manually and automatically. It also has a color temperature setting.

In addition, the Miracast option allows you to wirelessly broadcast the image from the device display to a computer monitor or TV screen.

An excellent indicator of the display is its recognition and response to 10 touches, and even the lightest touches on the screen are perceived.

Multi-touch test

The system control touch buttons located under the screen are not backlit. But above the screen there is an event indicator. The settings allow you to swap the “Recent apps” and “Back” buttons, they also have the same icons (“-“).

The screen has adaptive adjustment, i.e. the brightness is adjusted taking into account the level of illumination.There is a fairly effective anti-reflective coating.

The Neffos X1's display performs well in the sun, and the color quality doesn't suffer at all.

Specifications of the main camera

• sensor: Sony IMX286 Exmor RS;
• resolution: 13 megapixels;
• phase autofocus;
• 5-element lens;
• double two-color flash;
• four times digital zoom;
• f/2.0 aperture;
• modes: HDR, panorama, slow motion and shooting at certain intervals.

(HDR mode (High Dynamic Range, high dynamic range). With its help, the program can select the optimal ratio of color, brightness and contrast in the image. The camera will take three pictures in a row with different ratios of illumination and exposure. Autofocus will capture areas of the frame with different brightness and focal length.The system will automatically analyze the received frames and produce the final image, which will best combine the color, brightness and contrast of all details.)

As you can see, the main camera can take very decent pictures.

Unfortunately, this device does not have a manual camera setup mode, and there is also no stabilization, digital and optical. Despite this, in automatic mode and in good lighting, you can take decent shots, where small details clearly come out. At night, the quality of shooting is expectedly worse, and this is not surprising. Today, only flagship smartphones can take high-quality night shots (and it is very likely that such a difference is maintained artificially, since now the cost of the camera already allows you to include the option of good night photos in mid-budget phones).

The front camera has a resolution of 5 megapixels and a wide-angle lens.

There is a face beautification mode.Instagram is just a great option. True, this applies to daytime pictures.

An example of a selfie taken with a front camera with face beautification mode:

Selfie taken with the front camera

This is how he takes pictures during the day

In sunny weather:

Photo taken during daylight hours on a sunny day

On cloudy days:

Daytime photo on a cloudy day

Another photo taken during the day:

Photo during the day

Clearly about how he photographs at night:

Photo taken at night

Neffos X1 has two photo modules: the main (rear) camera and the front one.

Video

The Neffos X1 plays HD videos without stuttering and plays most games with good frame rates.

Both cameras can record videos in FullHD (1920 × 1080) quality. All multimedia content is stored in 3GP container files (AVC format - video, AAC - audio). In addition, there is slow speed shooting (×4, 640×480), as well as recording at intervals of 1, 2, 5 and 10 seconds.

HD video

Advantages and disadvantages of the Neffos X1 32GB smartphone

• Attractive and thoughtful design;
• a button that refers to the functions that are used most often;
• fast and reliable internet;
• many users are satisfied that TP-LINK does not overheat even under high load and at the same time works smoothly and quickly, does not slow down and does not freeze (including games, it pulls them all);
• good work of the biometric sensor to unlock the phone, it perceives even wet fingers;
• good quality photo and video shooting with sufficient lighting;
• affordable price.

• no optical and digital stabilization;
• many users do not like that the SIM card slot and flash memory are combined;
• pictures taken at night leave much to be desired;
• according to some users, the battery runs out very quickly, they say, 3-4 hours and that's it (although these were reviews from game lovers, and they play continuously);
• the Neffos X1 was stuffed with unnecessary (for many owners) and non-removable applications - well, all smartphones have it.

In general, if you are looking for a quality smartphone at a reasonable price, then this is it. What you need. In addition, if we remember that TP-LINK has a good reputation as a manufacturer of electronics in general, then the choice of a suitable device becomes obvious.